Review: UK's Herve returns on Cheap Thrills new sub label Illegal Bass. Following the the release of his second studio album on Skint Records, this three tracker takes Herve's trademark bass sound into the heyday of UK rave. The EP kicks off with "Excuse Me" (Jungle Bass Remix), a breakbeat anthem from yesteryear complete with hands in the air piano roll. "Madder Than Mad, Badder Than Bad" channels the spirit of early noughties nu-skool breaks rather effectively. "Excuse Me" (Links remix) does low end heavy deep house with style. Herve continues to surprise and lead the charge in the bass driven house arena.
Review: Herve's 2016 double album Hallucinated Surf was arguably the producer's most grown-up record to date. Notably, it boasted a disc of dancefloor bangers - his stock in trade, after all - and an accompanying CD of chill-out fare. On this follow-up single, he's back to his bassbin-bothering, up-all-night best, cleverly clustering rave-era piano stabs, vocal samples and crunchy house beats around a stunningly heavy bassline on "Excuse Me". He takes things even further on "Drums & Reality", a mind-altering chunk of heavyweight late night sleaze full of razor-sharp electro noises, bumpin' UK garage-influenced drums and hardcore-era breakdowns, before repeating the trick on wobbly, 2017 fidget update "I Got That".
Real (feat Wongo & Contessa Stutz) - (5:28) 124 BPM
Thatas The Way I Feel - (5:28) 124 BPM
Review: Bass music legend Herve appears here for Los Angeles centered Night Bass imprint, who are up to really impressive things at the moment. As the label themselves point out, the EP 'radiates energy from the glory days of "fidget house" but with totally modern production.' And indeed it really calls to mind the likes of Switch and Jesse Rose back in the day. The bouncy title track "Real" features Wongo and some mad vocal skills from Contessa Stuto, a crazy hoover breakdown and a rolling bass line. "That's the Way I Feel" is more stripped back and drugged out, with its bumpy bassline and groovy hi toms doing most of the work, until that addictive piano breakdown comes rushing in and stuttering about the place.
Review: Having dropped his latest party bomb, Hate On Me, back in the Summer, Herve (aka Josh Harvey) breathes further life into the tune with some new remix action. Jaded eschew the campy gurrrl-friendly vibes of the original in favour of some prowling, moody bassline house (which also gets re-edited by Herve himself), while Skapes & SFX go for the jugular - delivering some prime retro speed garage with plenty of funky house garnish on top.
Review: UK producer Joshua Harvey draws on classic garage influences for this release. You won't find any trace of Todd Edwards' drums or New Jersey cool here. Instead, Herve looks to the genesis of UK garage for inspiration. The title track revolves around a swinging groove and a fathomic bassline, but the floaty vocals recall the female-friendly Twice as Nice zone. There are no such niceties on "Whistle"; underpinned by a raga baseline and virulent horror stabs, it has just as much in common as 'ardkore. Finally, "Pressure" sees Herve venture into deeper territory thanks to chiming chords, but the menacing subs serve as a reminder that things could get nasty at any turn.
